The following is a summary list of questions about and frequently posed to those of Marketing Focus. Each answer detailed is intended to provide a concise overview of the activities of the practice and of Barry Urquhart.

For further and more detailed information, please feel free to contact Barry Urquhart, Jill Urquhart and Melanie Llewellyn of Marketing Focus:

What are the specific services offered by Barry Urquhart and Marketing Focus?

The primary activities are:

Conference keynote addresses

Strategic planning workshop facilitation

Consultation on:

product/business development

strategic change

competitive advantage

Marketing audits - 3–12 hour one-on-one analysis of businesses

The focused orientation is on:

Customer service excellence

Creative visual merchandising

Strategic and competitive planning

Dynamic change and innovation

Business and people development

What can we expect from a keynote address or business development workshop which is facilitated by Barry Urquhart?

Barry is a dynamic high impact conference keynote speaker whose original, innovative and creative concepts have a lasting impression on people and on the performance “bottom line” of businesses.

The ideas shared are typically easy to comprehend and inexpensive to implement. They provide the bases of a sustainable competitive advantage and for enhanced self confidence.

What is the typical size of a corporate or company client business of Marketing Focus?

There is no typical client business size. Marketing Focus consults to and addresses conferences, seminars and conventions for single person entities, organisations with 2 to 10 partners, small to medium sized enterprises, national groups and some of the world’s largest global corporations.

Which particular skill sets and experience does Barry Urquhart bring to the table?

Barry previously lectured in marketing, management and organisation behaviour at the Curtin University of Technology. He is a respected market researcher, whose ongoing schedule of original research into differing aspects of business, consumer service and strategic planning provides a unique, universal insight on those external factors which do and will have impact on a business, its people, products and services.

He is author of 4 books in his own right and is co-author of another two, with Professor Roger Smith. Two of the publications are the largest selling books on service excellence in Australasia.

Our workforce, franchisees, marketing licensees, cooperative members and clients represent a broad cross-section of business backgrounds, experience, training and operations. Does this cancel out using the practice and Barry?

Barry is the consummate “storyteller”. His anecdotes, case studies and homilies are compelling, insightful and in some instances, confronting. The messages are clear, concise, relevant and above all, easy to comprehend.

A lifetime of experience in addressing audiences and facilitating workshop sessions has equipped Barry to customise the orientation and pitch of each brief which is undertaken, to ensure that all participants enjoy considerable takeout value.

We have previously consulted advertising agencies, public relations consultants, promotional advisors and visual merchandisers. Our needs have not been satisfied by those professionals. Can Barry Urquhart and Marketing Focus help?

Marketing Focus (and Barry Urquhart) endeavour to provide an external resource and focus for each of its clients. There is no professional or business discipline bias in the advice, input and recommendations.

Indeed, Barry is often retained to consult with, brief and provide additional resources to advertising agencies and professionals in public relations, distribution and strategy development.

The skills and expertise of each client entity and its people are respected. Barry endeavours to complement and supplement those skill sets.

I am familiar with appearances on television current affairs programs and radio programs by Barry Urquhart. We don’t need a retail or customer service expert.

Good point. Some 95% of the television, radio and newspaper exposure of Barry Urquhart is centred on retailing and customer service. However, retailing represents less than 10% of the specific briefs fulfilled each year by Barry and Marketing Focus.

Some 30% of the work undertaken is in professional services; another 25% is in manufacturing distribution and logistics; around 20% in financial services and 15% in tourism and hospitality.

Our people are well qualified, educated, experienced and do not like to be lectured to. Can Marketing Focus provide a challenging, experienced facilitator for a strategic planning workshop?

The most challenging and rewarding workshops facilitated by Barry are typically in circumstances where the educational qualifications and skills of the participants can be channelled by this experienced facilitator within the framework of a strong set of philosophies, vision and experience.

I note that Marketing Focus is located in Perth, Western Australia. Does that preclude us from being able to retain the practice and Barry Urquhart?

Significantly, less than 15% of briefs undertaken by Marketing Focus and Barry Urquhart are within Western Australia.

Each year he travels some 300,000 kilometres on five continents. Barry periodically visits major capital cities throughout the world. Therefore location and timing are seldom issues. He regularly addresses conferences and facilitates workshops in Britain, Canada, the United States of America, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Africa.

We have a particular set of circumstances; our products and services are unique, and our people have a distinct and different set of needs. Are you sure that this practice and Barry can assist in our business development and client retention strategies?

The uniqueness of a client company, its people, products and service is always respected. Barry, being a catalyst and facilitator for change, as well as a qualified market researcher is well versed in posing key and fundamental questions, the answers to which are only known by the people of the client company. The art is having a consultant who can ask the right questions, rather than to provide stock answers.

Accordingly, in every instance a detailed briefing from the client is required, together with a comprehensive schedule of background research undertaken personally by Barry Urquhart.

Some of our people have heard or worked with Barry Urquhart over the past 25 years. Can I be sure the material is new, contemporary and relevant?

Barry is a strong advocate of self-induced obsolescence. He contends products, including keynote addresses, typically have a product life cycle of 18 months. Therefore, he is constantly researching, analysing, compiling, refining and extending sessions which will at all times be relevant and contemporary.

Consequently, those people who have heard Barry at least 18 months ago, are recalling obsolete data information, concepts, ideas and presentations.

We don’t need to be told how to run our business. Can you provide a different perspective and challenge which will assist on the development of our activities, products and services?

Fundamentally, Barry Urquhart is a catalyst and facilitator of change. He is a qualified, experienced and widely respected market research and strategic planning consultant, who customises each presentation and session.

He avoids providing prescriptions for success, preferring to offer a framework in which participants determine their own actions, with due deference accorded to their respective philosophies, visions and cultures.